Previous Weekly Writes

1. Find a letter you've received and change the names of the people mentioned in it. Use it as an opening to a short story. 

 2. Have a go at writing a riddle in poetry form. This poem by Judith Nicholls, names the object at the end. See if you can compose something similar. 

1. Think of a recent event that happened in your life. Rewrite it through the voice of your best friend, sibling or other close relative. Try and capture their way of thinking, their way of using language.

 2. Ask a friend to put a variety of objects in a cotton bag. Close you eyes and feel each object. Write down words to describe them. Then open your eyes to see what the objects are. Choose one, and write a poem on it, incorporating the descriptive words you originally wrote down.

1. Think about a character that you've created. How would they act in these different situations: at the ballet, in a library, at a mother and toddler group, at a construction site. Write down your thoughts.

 2. Write a scene of dialogue between two characters that includes silence in it. What effect does it have?

1.Listen to this poem by Jo Shapcott: I Go Inside The Tree. This was part of a poetry collection inspired by trees. Reflect on something in nature which you admire e.g flowers/water/mountains and see if you can write a poem as focused as this. 

 2. Write a flash fiction piece about a new beginning. It could be centred on the first day of school, a new relationship or newly found freedom from war/oppression/disease etc.

1. Choose one of your favourite songs and try re-writing the lyrics. Ensure your new lyrics are still in keeping with the rhythm of the piece.

 2. Write a story where a character has a secret that she is too frightened to tell. Think about why this is. What are the consequences of the secret being known? 

1.This is the opening to John Burnside's novel, The Glister:

"In the beginning, John Morrison is working in his garden. Not the garden at the police house, which he has long neglected, and not the allotment he rented when he was first married, but the real garden, the only garden, the one he likes to think of as a shrine."

Use this as a beginning to a story and see where it leads you.

2. The Umbrella Man, The Bookseller, The Butler and The Last Act are all titles to short stories written by Roald Dahl. Choose one and use it to begin writing a poem.
 

1. Have a go at writing a 'conceit' poem. A conceit poem is where you write about one thing entirely in terms of another e.g. a hedgehog as a conker, as in this example.

2. Write about a piece of clothing in your wardrobe that has a particular emotion attached to it. Start with a description of the item and see where this takes you.
 

1.Ernest Hemingway said:

'Remember to get the weather in your damn book- weather is very important.'

What is the weather like right now? Severe winds, snow, rain? Write about what you see outside your window.

 2. Choose a house in your neighbourhood that is owned by someone you don't know and have never seen. Write about who you think might live there. Look for clues. What is the garden like, the windows, the curtains? Is there anything on the front door?
 

1.Choose two characters who really dislike one another. How old are they? What do they look like? Why do they hate each other? Create a dinner party scene. One of them is already seated and the other one walks in. What do they say to each other?

 2. Choose a well know story e.g a fairytale or a myth. Set it in the present and change the setting: on a spaceship, in a war zone, in the Arctic, in a small province in China.
 

1.Write a line of a story, then send it to a writing friend to write the next line. Get them to send it to someone else to add a line. Repeat until you have a complete story. 

 2. Make an advent calendar. For each day, add a treat and an inspiring writing quote.  

1.Take on the persona of one of your characters (if you're writing a story). Get a friend to interview you (as that character).

 2. Visit a place in your town/city that you've never been to. Write about it.

1.Open a dictionary and find a word that you've never seen before. Write 200 words- including this new word in your piece.

2. Take a bus and observe the people on it. Choose someone of interest and think about their behaviour/what they might do for a job. Use this as a basis for a character in a story.

1.Choose a creature that you know nothing about e.g a seahorse. Find out a little more about it, and then write a poem based on your discoveries.

2. Write 150 words on something/someone that you've lost.

1.Scan a newspaper for interesting stories. Pick one and use it as a springboard for your own writing.

2. Make an inspiration board!

1.Pick a story you’ve already written and re-imagine it in the past. How does this affect the story's setting/ voice/ character?

2. Ask three friends to send you a holiday snap. Use one/all of them as an inspiration for a poem.  

1. Log your dreams over a week. Chose one of the most vivid and use it as a basis for a creative piece.  

2. Still life: Choose an object and describe it in great detail. Use this as an opening to a story.

1. Write your own (dream) obituary.   

2. Choose a memory of yours (good or bad). Re-write it from the perspective of someone else.

1. Write an 100 word story in ten minutes.  

2. Re-write the story, but change the gender of one of the characters. What do you notice?

1. Write a letter of advice to your teenage self.

2. Choose the last paragraph of your favourite book. Keep the first line but change the rest.